“The most pressing issue facing Plain City is the need for responsible growth that meets the needs of current and future residents,” said Melvin Sadler, one of the contenders.

Six in all are running, including incumbents Sadler and Rachael Beal along with Miles Robinson, Chase Holmes, Jan Wilson and Adam Favero. Incumbent Todd Skeen’s seat comes open, but he’s not running again.

Voting culminates Nov. 21 and the top three vote-getters will win election. Here’s what the candidates had to say:

Miles Robinson: Robinson is a retired construction worker who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Plain City two years ago. He said he was encouraged to enter the City Council race by supporters who don’t think the current slate of leaders are properly running the city.

He singled out his displeasure with what he says is faulty work by some developers in Plain City and inaction by city officials to force them to do their work properly, at least in some cases. Developers will make promises, he said, citing anecdotal cases he’s heard, but sometimes fail to deliver, seemingly with no repercussions.

“A lot of the developers do not finish their job and it holds the public hostage,” he said.

He cited the instance of an acquaintance who has a leaky basement that the home developer has failed to address and another case when a developer didn’t build a fence around a canal, as apparently promised. “Yes, we can make them do this stuff,” Robinson said.

He sounded his message in a bio provided to the election website of the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office. “It’s time for problems of the community to be addressed and solved instead of ignored. It is time for city representatives to be held accountable,” he said.

Assuring recreational facilities for kids is another priority issue. “They need an indoor facility of some sort,” Robinson said.

Adam Favero: Favero, the public works director in Clearfield who has held posts in other locales as well, is vying for public office for the first time.

He cited his 20 years of experience working in municipal government, even if he isn’t an elected official. He’s also held jobs in the cities of West Point and West Jordan, he said, and is attuned to the import of planning and addressing infrastructure.

More specifically, he notes the development potential in Plain City and a desire to have a hand in guiding the process. “There’s a lot of open land and I want to make sure there’s planning for it, essentially,” he said.

Making sure the city has proper infrastructure — roads, sidewalks, sewers, streets, parks and more — is also a big focus for him.

He vows to pay attention to the needs and issues of all groups in the city, from younger residents to older ones. “Wherever you’re at in life, we need to have something for everybody,” he said.

His family, he said, has operated a farm in the Taylor/Plain City area for over a century. “Growing up on this farm I learned the value of hard work, essential life skills and knowledge I feel would benefit Plain City,” he said in his message on the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office election page.

Rachael Beal: Beal, now a stay-at-home mom who puts a focus on her City Council duties, is finishing her first term, seeking a second. She’s a U.S. Air Force veteran and former Hill Air Force Base computer scientist who has made many moves in her life, finally finding what she says is a home in Plain City.

“It’s a perfect mix of rural and developed,” she said, a combination she’d like to maintain.

The biggest issue facing Plain City is dealing with development, she said. That can’t necessarily be stopped as farmers sell their property, but city officials can take action to set lot sizes and limit housing density, thereby helping preserve a rural feel. “We’re trying to walk that fine line of development and farm land,” she said.

In her message on the state election website, she said she also aims to keep the government in check. “Our role is to serve the residents, not pass arbitrary restrictive ordinances,” she wrote.

Melvin Sadler: Sadler, now retired, ran his own business as a dental lab technician until 2021. He’s finishing his second term on the City Council, serves the Plain City Fire Department and drives a bus for the Ogden School District.

He says he’s worked on many projects as a member of the City Council, with more to complete. Among the unfinished tasks are expansion of a trail system in and around the city, expansion of the city’s wastewater treatment system and completion of the buildout of a fiber-optic network in Plain City. Shifting the city’s fire department from a volunteer to a “hybrid volunteer/professional” body is another work in progress.

Development, though, is perhaps the most pressing issue in the city, he thinks. “Encouraging responsible growth is why I’ve been so focused on my priorities like wastewater treatment, the growth of the fire department, improved recreation opportunities and our connectivity improvements,” he said.

Chase Holmes: Holmes is a mechanical engineer running for office for the first time. He aims to be “an advocate for the citizens,” he said.

He cities a number of priority issues. “The most pressing issues in Plain City are growth, the tax burden levied on the tax base and infrastructure. The City Council’s priorities should be lowering the tax burden and infrastructure,” he said.

Jan Wilson: Wilson said in her message on the state election website that she helped run the Weber County Fair for 25 years.

“I have a deep desire to continue to serve the people of Plain City. I have witnessed the growth that has come to our city by listening, talking and visiting those that have lived in Plain City forever as well as those that are just joining our community,” she wrote.

She touts the import of having a vision for the future while remembering the past. Wilson did not respond to Standard-Examiner queries seeking comment on her plans.